Vikings Fall Behind Early, Lose to Bears 28-10

CHICAGO — Adrian Peterson was late arriving to the stadium. By the time he settled in, this game was out of reach.

Peterson got off to a slow start, and the Minnesota Vikings got blown away in the first half on the way to a 28-10 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Jay Cutler was on target from the start, throwing for 188 yards and a touchdown after missing a game with a concussion, to lead the Bears to a rather lopsided win even though they lost some key players to injuries.

Devin Hester left the game with a concussion. Matt Forte and Charles Tillman exited with ankle injuries, and for good measure, both starting guards went down.

All those injuries tempered some of the good feelings this win created for the Bears.

Tied with Green Bay for the NFC North lead and just a game ahead of Minnesota (6-5) coming in, the Bears (8-3) grabbed a 25-3 halftime lead with Cutler connecting on just about every pass. The defense held Peterson in check early on, although he did finish with 108 yards rushing.

Chicago also came away with three more takeaways to increase its total from a league-leading 30 entering the game to 33.

The rather easy win came after back-to-back losses to Houston and San Francisco that left many questioning how good this team really is.

But it also came with a heavy price.

The Bears lost Devin Hester, a receiver and a record-setting return specialist, early to a concussion. And that was just the start.

Matt Forte, their top running back, hobbled to the tunnel midway through the third quarter with an ankle injury. Coach Lovie Smith said star cornerback Charles Tillman also hurt his ankle.

Besides those three, the Bears lost both starting guards in the third quarter to knee sprains, with Lance Louis and Chris Spencer going down. Louis’ injury on a blindside hit by Jared Allen as Antoine Winfield returned an interception forced Chicago to go with Gabe Carimi, who lost the right tackle job to Jonathan Scott.

Spencer, meanwhile, was in the lineup after Chilo Rachal left the team.

If the Bears are going to develop any continuity on the line, well, don’t expect it anytime soon.

As for Cutler, he sure looked sharp after missing Monday’s blowout loss at San Francisco.

Back after being knocked out of the Texans game on a helmet-to-helmet hit by Tim Dobbins, he got off to a scorching start and completed 23 of 31 passes with an interception to go with that touchdown.

Brandon Marshall caught 12 passes for 92 yards and became the first Bears receiver since Marty Booker in 2002 to go over 1,000 yards. He now has 1,017 yards this season, his sixth straight with 1,000 or more.

On defense, Henry Melton set the tone by sacking Christian Ponder on the first play from scrimmage. Nick Roach set up the first touchdown by knocking the ball out of Peterson’s hands. Chris Conte set another TD with a 35-yard interception return, and Julius Peppers blocked a field goal.

The league’s leading rusher, Peterson tied Robert Smith’s club record with a 100-yard performance for the fifth straight game even though he managed just 25 in the first half. He also lost two fumbles and had to catch a cab to the stadium and arrived about 90 minutes before kickoff, according to reports.

Ponder wasn’t much help, going 22 of 43 with 159 yards and a touchdown along with an interception. His favorite target, Percy Harvin, sat out his second straight game with a sprained left ankle.

Cutler completed 15 of 17 passes for 117 yards in the first half, and the Bears jumped out a big lead after a shaky start on offense.

Forte fumbled on Chicago’s first play from scrimmage, leading to a 40-yard field goal by Blair Walsh — all the scoring the Vikings did in the half.

The Bears broke it open late in the second half.

Bush scored from the 1 and holder Adam Podlesh ran in for a 2-point conversion that made it 18-3.

Ponder got picked off by Conte and he returned it 35 yards to the Minnesota 13. That led to a scoring strike from Cutler to a lunging Matt Spaeth on the next play.

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